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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28783065">TMNT 2003 OC write-in</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildkat0909/pseuds/wildkat0909'>wildkat0909</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:28:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,684</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28783065</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildkat0909/pseuds/wildkat0909</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my original character being inserted into the TMNT 2003 universe. OC is the sister of the TMNT. </p><p>(My first fanfic so cut me some slack.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Episode 1 (1/2): Things Change</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello, my fellow nerds! How y'all doin? This is my basically my first fanfiction, so I would appreciate any constructive criticism and feedback you have for my grammar, spelling, scene development, etc.<br/>I don't know why I wanted to do this. I'm blaming it on quarantine. I also wanted to have some fun writing, and this is the best way I could think of.<br/>I'm trying my best to create the personality and stuff of the character, so bear with me. I'm new to this. Oh, and a warning to those who have watched the whole series. I'm changing just a few things. Like assigning different characters (mainly mine) lines that the others have said, changing the scenes to make follow through on her personality and stuff, adding some new ones if I don't think it would be relevant to put her in certain scenes you see on the show. Stuff like that. I know it sounds like a lot, but I hope it won't be. I'll try my best to keep it as close to the original show as possible.<br/>Enjoy reading!</p><p>PS. My OC talks in Japanese sometimes, so when she converses with people in that language, it will be italicized.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Remember,to be a true ninja, you must become one with the shadows. Darkness gives the ninja power, while light reveals the ninja’s presence.” The candle balancing precisely on Splinter’s walking stick basks his fur in flickering gold and makes his silhouette dance on the wall. The rest of the layer is shrouded in darkness. Time for stealth training. “Now, can you extinguish this flame without revealing yourselves?” He flips the candle into his hand and waits patiently.
</p><p> </p><p>We’re all hiding in different parts of the lair. Donny and Mikey are hiding behind support pillars. Raph is just standing out in the open, but out of the candlelight’s reach. Leo is holding himself up between two ventilation ducts that run along the roof. I’m not too far away from him, doing the same thing. Watching and waiting for my moment to strike.</p><p> </p><p>Don’s the first to move. He sprints towards Splinter and dives to grab the candle. All Splinter has to do is move it down a few inches, and Don goes sailing over it. He crashes into the wall with a grunt. “Too noisy, Donatello,” Splinter advises with a smirk.</p><p> </p><p>Mikey makes his move, twirling his nunchuk around and lunging for the candlestick, much like Don had done. Splinter stands up, moves the candle away, and flips Mikey in mid-air. He crashes into Don, who was just starting to get up. “Too clumsy, Michelangelo.”</p><p> </p><p>Splinter kneels back to the floor. I’m pretty sure he already knows Raph is creeping up behind him. But he just sits there, waiting for Raph to make a mistake. I can hear the air whistle as Raph soars over Splinter’s head when he tries to tackle him. He lands his feet, unlike my other brothers, and spins around. Splinter stares at him through the gloom, tempting him to try again. And I can see in Raph’s eyes, he’s all too eager. He spins his sais in his fingers and charges Splinter.</p><p> </p><p>He simply kneels back down and sticks his walking stick out. Raph doesn’t see it coming. His foot gets hooked on the stick and goes sailing into the already pile of green turtles against the wall. It’s so easy to see, even in the dark, that Raph is seriously annoyed. “Poor choice, Raphael,” comments Splinter as he stands up.</p><p> </p><p>I see a window for me to grab the candle, but I see Leo twitch. Damn it. He drops from the ceiling and takes his katanas out. He slices the candle in Splinter’s hand in half and catches the top half on the flat of his katana. Just before he can blow it out, I drop down on top of his shoulders and flip over his head. I steal the katana right out of his hand and kill the flame.</p><p> </p><p>Splinter flips on the light and the lair is bathed in harsh fluorescent. 'I really need to come up with something that doesn’t burn our irises', I think to myself.<br/>
“Well done, Leonardo,” Master Splinter compliments. He turns to me. “And you as well. Catharina.”<br/>
“Teacher’s pet,” Raph sneers at Leo.<br/>
“Ninja dropout,” Leo retorts. He tosses the leftover candlestick.</p><p> </p><p>Raph squeezes it until wax is leaking through his fingers and gets in Leo’s face. Splinter intervenes. “My sons!” They both look at him. “My sons…” he looks at me, “and daughter.” We line up and kneel in front of him. “If you are to become true ninja, you must work harder.” He looks at each of us as he talks. Your path in life will not be an easy one.” I hear buzzing but ignore it. “The outside world will not be a friendly place for you. You five are different in ways the surface dwellers would never understand. To survive, you must master these skills I teach you.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mikey swatting at a bug that keeps flying around his head. “ Ninjutsu powers of stealth, and secrecy. You must become <em>kage</em>, shadow warriors. And you must never be discovered by the outside world.” Mikey successfully catches the bug between his hands. Splinter stands in front of him and looks down at him with irritation written all over his face.</p><p> </p><p>I feel the floor shake, and judging by the reaction of everyone else, they feel it too. “What is that noise,” Splinter asks. We all stand up as chunks of rock start falling from the ceiling. “Woah. Earthquake,” Mikey says as he stands next to Don. I can faintly hear feet marching and screeching. I shake my head. This is no earthquake. “In New York,” Don questions. “Possible but not likely.”</p><p> </p><p>Chunks of rock keep falling and a sound like an explosion comes from one of the walls. A metal head sticks out from the clearing dust and it screeches at us. All four of my brothers take out their weapons, while I fall back and stand next to Splinter. Just in case the short two-legged metal death machine gets past them. More follow behind the first and they come right for us. Why do I feel like I’ve seen these before?</p><p> </p><p>“What are those things,” Leo asks. Of course, it’s Mikey who answers. “New York City cockroaches?”<br/>
“Whatever they are, they picked the wrong party to crash!” Raph kicks one, and the rest come at us. Don swats one away, but another latches onto his bō staff and doesn’t let go. He smashes it against the ground and it explodes. Mikey takes the heads off 6 more. “Hey Leo, think fast!” He picks one up and chucks it at Leo who slices it down the middle.</p><p> </p><p>It’s at this point that I realize that there are about a dozen coming towards us. I take out my fans and proceed to fend off as many as I can, while Splinter is swatting away what he can with his stick. Leo turns towards us. “We have to help Master Splinter and Cat! Come on!”</p><p> </p><p>All four charge through the sea of metal creatures and attempt to clear a path right for us. I’m still trying to slice through wires and gears when I notice the little bastards chewing through the concrete supports. My eyes follow the growing crack that leads up to the roof. It only takes me a second to realize what’s about to happen.</p><p> </p><p>The supports crumble. More concrete falls. Leo snatches Raph from the path of a huge slab. And I’m sprinting for my life. Towards safety. Towards my brothers. I’m ducking, sliding and dodging. Dust clouds the air. I'm so close.</p><p> </p><p>A brick wall lands right in front of me. I skid to a stop. I pivot. More concrete. There’s no way out. Earth groans above me. My eyes scan around me. No way out. I tuck inside my shell and pray as the ceiling gives out.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Episode 1 (2/2): Things Change</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey ppl! So I think I've figured out an upload schedule. I don't have a specific time, but I'll upload every Friday at the earliest, and every other Friday at the latest. This is so I don't feel as stressed to write and upload, especially when I get a job (screw this stupid economy).<br/>Hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It couldn’t have been very long before I heard rubble grind against rubble and light peek through an ever-growing hole. “Cat, are you in there,” I heard a voice call. The worry was obvious. I try to speak, but all that comes out is a loud and violent cough. I try to stretch out, but there’s so much rubble on and around me, I’m forced to stay curled up. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I can still feel the hands on my shell though when I’m pulled out. I can finally stretch out and I try and rub the dust and grit from my eyes. I can sense Donny’s presence next to me before he talks. “Oh, thank shell. Cat, are you ok?” I can feel his hands touching everything, trying to assess the damage. I nod and give a thumbs up. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Stay sitting for a bit,” Leo tells me. We’re going to see if we can get to Master Splinter.” I nod once more. I can hear Raph crush one of the metal vermin that still had something to say. “What the shell are those things,” Mikey asks from my left. Raph answers with his usual amount of attitude.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Whatever they were…” Metal clinks. “...they’re junk now.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I stand up and stretch my legs and make my way over to Donny. I quietly snatch his phone up and dial Splinter’s number.<br/>
“Guys, Splinter. We’ve got to find Splinter. Master Splinter! Can you hear me!.” Leo calls back into the rubble. I tap Donny on the arm. He looks down at me. I hit the call button and hand is Shell-Cell back to him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Donatello, any way to…” Leo stops himself. “What are you doing?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shell-Cell. I’m calling Master Splinter. I hope.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We sit in anticipation. While it rings, Don looks back at me. “Good thinking, little ninja.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hmm, which button do you press to answer this thing?” Grins all around. Leo steals the cell from Don’s hand. “Master Splinter, are you alright?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hello!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Master Splinter…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Stupid device."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...you don’t have to press any buttons. You already answered it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ah, Leonardo, whatever those mechanical menaces are, they have managed to eat through the support structure of our home. We must leave right away. Meet me at the old drainage junction near South Point.” I hand Don the dusty old map I swiped from his duffel bag. He smiles at me. I can always read him like a book. In fact, all of them are pretty easy to read. Especially after living in closed quarters for 6 years.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Donatello unfurls the map and points to a spot on it. “If we take the south conduit, it’ll intersect with the old drainage tunnel.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We’ll meet you there, Sensei,” Leo tells Splinter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mikey sticks his head in. “What’d he say? What’d he say? Did he mention me?” Raph shoves him off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I stand near the door as Mikey says goodbye to everything we’ve ever known. The broken pipe. The grungy payphone. The dented manhole cover. “Goodbye, home sweet home.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hello, cruel world.” Raph, ever the downer. “Come on.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We leave and enter one of the many sewer ways. The walls are littered with holes and the ground is covered in cracks and broken pieces of wall. “Looks like those things have been through here,” Leo says.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“These walls are seriously compromised. It’s lucky this roof hasn’t caved in.” Don just had to say it. The next thing we come upon is the sewer way blocked by tons of dirt and metal. “You were saying,” Raph asks.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can’t go forward. Can’t go back,” Leo says.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Looks like we go up.” Raph starts towards a ladder that leads to the surface. Leo goes after him. “Hitting the surface is a bad idea,” Leo says.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We’ve got no other way to go, Leo,” Don tells him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo sighs, but eventually caves. “Alright, but we’re only going up to go down the next manhole. Got it? No fooling around. Remember what Sensei said. It’s dangerous for us to be seen, let alone captured. We need to stay out of sight.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We got it the first thousand times, Leo. Just follow my lead.” And with that, Raph begins to climb up the metal rungs. The rest of my brothers follow suit, forcing me to go last. I doubt they’re even aware of the overprotective brother instinct kicking it. Putting me in the back of the pack so they can make sure everything is clear. I roll my eyes. Wonder if they’ll ever believe that I can handle myself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Come on Leo, move it,” I hear Mikey complain. “I don’t want to be staring at your butt any longer than I have too.” I see Leo’s shadow duck back underneath the concrete and hesitate. Then we’re moving up, out, and across the street to the next manhole cover Raph spotted. But a truck pulls into the alley and parks right on top of the metal saucer. “Great. Just great. The ol’ turtle luck, working true to form.” Raph’s anger builds up and he kicks the side of the truck. His foot makes the metal clang, and with it already so quiet, the sound rings throughout the alley. “Way to be stealthy, Raph,” Leo ridicules.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah I don’t think they heard you over in Jersey.” Mikey, ever with the quips.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Raph points to the truck. “Gimme a hand.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mikey throws his hands up, probably going to make a stupid joke.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Don’t even think about it Mikey.” Raph waves us off. “Ah, forget you guys, I’ll push it myself.” He stalks towards the back of the truck, and I maneuver around my other three brothers. If they don’t want to help him, then I will.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Me and Raph put our hands on the back bumper and try to make the truck budge. Over Raph’s grunts of effort, I can hear voices coming from behind a door in the alley. Raph picks them up too. Leo waves to us. “Hide, guys. Come on. Hurry” There’s no time to run to them. I dive behind a bunch of garbage bags and cram as much of my body into the shadows as I can. Raph makes the very, very poor choice of diving into the back of the truck. That idiot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Did you see the way that guy squirmed when we took his cash,” a blue haired oaf laughed. “Sheep, man. Sheep to be fleeced by us wolves.” He and his buddies chuck bags into the truck and slam the doors. Blue Hair sets a lock, but it’s too dark for me to see it. Then he drives off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I crawl out of my hiding spot and stand next to Mikey. “Imagine their surprise when they open the back of that truck.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This is exactly what Master Splinter was talking about.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No time for that, Leo. We must get him out.” I tell him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Don decides to turn this into a game. “Last one to the roof hatched from a rotten egg!” Just before he can take off, I jump onto his shell. He keeps running and uses the fire escapes to climb to the roof. Just before he lands, I push off from his shell and forward spring off my hands to my feet. I take off to follow the truck that holds my ani. The others will catch up. If they’re smart, they will realize that we can cut the truck off at 3rd and 1st.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I haven’t been to the surface in ages. My brothers and chichi never let me, so I started sneaking out. Especially when I needed supplies for my hobby. I make the most of my freedom. I flip, twirl, and revel in the feeling of my muscles tensing and relaxing as I jump from roof to roof.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The goons never make it to 3rd and 1st. They pull into an alleyway far before that. I stop on one of the buildings surrounding it and peer over the edge. “Hey, Two Ton, watch the truck. We wouldn’t want anyone to steal our stolen money,” Blue Hair orders. A very fat man paces back and forth near the truck, and I see three shadows on the next building watching the same thing I am. I see them move down to the street, and I follow suit. I have a feeling I know what the plan is. I blend into the shadows and kick a can. I see Two Ton peer around the truck, and Mikey sneak behind him. He taps him on the shoulder. “Hey, this is a no-parking zone.” Mikey holds up a piece of paper. “Here’s your ticket. And here’s your fine!” He knocks Two Ton out cold.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo complements. “Nice work, Mikey.”</p>
<p>“It’s a ninja thing.”</p>
<p>“Now, let’s get Raph out of there.”</p>
<p>“Man, whatever happened to good ol’ fashion padlocks.”</p>
<p>“Where’s the fun in that,” Don asks. He twirls his tools in his fingers. “This one’s all mine.” Raph continues to yell and pound on the glass, and Mikey mocks him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What’s that Raphael? You’re going to have to speak up, dude. I can’t hear you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Raph punches the glass as hard as he can. No one can get on his nerves quite like Mikey. “Ok. I heard that.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Donny spins and faces Mikey. “I’m trying to work here.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Don keeps fiddling with the wires inside the lock, trying to put the right ones together. His eyes betray how focused he is. When I decide that this is taking too long, I stand next to him and study the lock. If I’m right, I’ve seen this lock before on the internet. I take one of his hands and guide it towards a wire. I grab another one and touch the exposed ends together. There’s a large spark, Don flips his glasses up, and the lock beeps. The doors open slowly, and Mikey greets Raph. “Hey Raph, welcome back bro.” Raph sprints out of the truck and tackles Mikey. Per usual, they start to wrestle.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What a hothead,” comments Leo.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I hear footsteps approaching us from behind. I turn around and see Blue Hair and his goons approaching us with chains, pipes, and bats. I take my fans out of my belt and start to back up. Leo and Donny turn to see what I’m looking at, and they follow suit. “Uh, Raph,” begins Don. Leo finishes his sentence. “We don’t have time for this.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And why not,” asks Raph, still holding Mike up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Because we’re not alone,” Mikey points out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My brothers stand shoulder to shoulder, and of course, I’m pushed behind them. My annoyance with them increases.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Look at the freaks,” Blue Hair sneers as he approaches us.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What’s with the dweeby costumes,” Two Ton asks.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This ain’t Halloween,” another pipes up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re going down freaks. Nobody messes with the Purple Dragons. Especially wearing stupid turtle costumes.” You’re wrong, Blue Hair. We’re not wearing costumes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo turns his head to me. “Stay here, Cat.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My brothers jump into the group of Purple Dragons, and take them all down swiftly. Still, I could’ve helped. I may be 8, but I’ve taken every one of my brothers down, and I only come up to their shoulders.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The cowardly Purple Dragons flee, and my brothers follow them to the end of the alley. Mikey holds his hand up to Raph. “Gimme some green.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, that was easier than expected.” Don, when will you learn. Never, ever say that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I hope there are more of those guys. I’m just getting warmed up.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shadows of humans dance across the street of the alley. I tap on Mikey and point up. He follows my finger. “Uh, well, looks like you got your wish Raphie Boy.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are those guys… ninjas,” Leo asks.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The ninjas rain down from the roofs and surround us. My brothers form a tight circle around me. I cross my arms and sigh. This is getting really old.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, they're certainly ninja-esque.” I roll my eyes. Of course, they’re ninjas Mikey.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Be ready. For anything.” Leo crosses his swords.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m so going to enjoy this,” Raph smiles.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Don makes the first move, using his bo staff to vault himself over a group of ninja. He lands behind them, tucks his bō against his shell, and spins to take some out at the legs. He dispatches two more, but they get right back up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Three surround Raph and try taking him out with punches and kicks. He just doges and complements. “Nice Dragon Kick. Ahh, sweet Double Phoenix Punch. Hey, you know this one?” He roundhouse kicks them all away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo sword fights with one. He pushes him away with his blade and flips up to an overhang. The ninja climbs up opposite him and runs along the wall. The ninja tries to take Leo out at the head, but Leo counters. Another hops up on the other side of my brother, and they gang up on him. Sparks fly as metal hits metal.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mikey is holding his own against two ninjas very well. Nunchucks spinning and hitting every exposed place he can find.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We need to get out of here. We’re getting outnumbered. I notice the armored truck the Purple idiots left behind. I leap over to the driver's side and hop into it. I need to get this thing started. I feel the side of the truck vibrate and I peer out the window. Mikey asks Don “Don, are we beating them, or are they beating us?” I see a glint, and about a dozen shuriken are heading right for them. I open the door, grab them by their shells, and pull them in. Donny manages to close the door behind him. He opens the door and stares at the ninja stars embedded in the truck. “Ask me again when we’re winning Mikey.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I duck under the console and tear it open. I steal a wire cutter from Don’s bag and cut the two that I need to get this giant truck to start. Don watches my back as I work.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“How many of these goons do we have to bap before they get the hint?”</p>
<p>“Really, they just keep coming.”</p>
<p>“Time to switch to Plan B. Donatello?”</p>
<p>“She’s almost there Leo.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I connect two wires, they spark, and the engine starts up. I get out from under the console and Don hops in the driver's seat. “This bus now leaving for anywhere but here!” He shuts the door and begins to drive away. I look back and see the others hopping into the back. Don barrels through the ninjas and crashes into pretty much everything. Mikey reads my mind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Woah. Nice driving Don. For a turtle with no license.”</p>
<p>“Hey, you want pretty? Or you want effective?”</p>
<p>“I got to tell you, this has been one mondo bizarro day. First, all those metal robot’s underground. And, what’s with all those ninjas? Ninja’s in New York City? Besides us? It’s just not right.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Raph picks up one of the duffels the Purple Dragons left behind. “Talk about not right. Check this out.” He dumps stacks and stacks of bills out on the floor.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mikey crawls over and picks two up. “Show me the money baby.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo rips a stack out of his hand. “This isn’t finders keepers Mikey.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I notice a cop car pulled over and point to it. Leo nods and puts all the cash back in the duffel. Donny pulls up next to the cop car, and Leo chucks the duffels onto the hood of the cop car. “Take care of this money, will you guys!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Don pulls away and turns into an alley. He smashes through giant metal bars blocking our entry back into the sewers. The armor on the truck scraps against the concrete walls until we pull into the old drainage junction. We finally made it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Splinter’s kneeling on the ground, parts of the metal robots scattered around him. All four of my brothers run to him, cheering that they’re happy to see him. I approach more slowly, and bow my head in greeting to him. He reciprocates the action.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, I’m glad to see you too, my children.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Master Splinter,” Leo begins. “So much has happened today.” That’s an understatement.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yes. There will be time to tell me all about it later, Leonardo. But first, I wish to take you all home.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mikey’s the first to say something. “Home?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We got no home. Those robots trashed our pad. Remember Sensei?” Of course he remembers Raph. He’s not that old.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Do not worry. I think I have found a solution to our current housing problem. Follow me, my children.”And with that, Splinter hops down a gaping hole in the floor. Leo’s the first to follow. Then Don. Mikey stands at the edge and begins to say “Cowabung-Ahhh,” but is pushed down the hole by Raph before he can finish. I can hear Mikey’s voice echo from the hole. “Not funny Raph!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, yes it is.” Raph jumps down and I follow him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My brother’s scream as they slide down the tunnel and end up in a pile at the bottom. I manage to jump over them before I become part of the jumble of green on the ground. I walk and stand next to Splinter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wicked slide,” Mikey calls from behind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Splinter starts walking, and I follow.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No offense, Master Splinter, but this place doesn’t seem so great.”</p>
<p>“Look with your heart, Michelangelo, and not your eyes.”</p>
<p>“Um, ok.”</p>
<p>“And walk this way.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We leave my brothers behind, and I drop my voice low so they won’t hear.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em>It is good to see you, Father.</em>”</p>
<p>“<em>It is good to see you too, Catharina. You must tell me everything that happened on the surface. I do not believe your brothers will tell me everything.</em>"<br/>
I let out a low chuckle. “<em>Of course, Father.</em>”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Splinter takes us to a giant space with a soaring ceiling and rooms peppered all around the first and second floors. My brothers make sounds of amazement.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This is beyond awesome!”</p>
<p>“I could really tune this space up.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My brothers scatter to explore our new home. Mikey scrambles up the wall to the second floor and points to every room. “This room here. Mine.” He jumps down. “And where you’re standing. Also mine.”</p>
<p>“You see my children, change is good.”</p>
<p>“We couldn't agree more, Master Splinter,” Leo smiles at him.</p>
<p>“Good. So let’s see you boys clean up for a change. This chamber is filthy.”</p>
<p>“Oh, come on!</p>
<p>“Seriously!”</p>
<p>“Why doesn’t Cat have to?”</p>
<p>“Because I know how to clean up after myself,” I retort.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The boys turn and start picking up debris and Splinter turns to me. “<em>Come, my daughter. Let us talk about your adventure on the surface.</em>”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As always, leave a comment and how I can improve. I'm open to help in making my writing better. </p>
<p>Stay weird, my humans!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Episode 2 (1/2): A Better Mousetrap</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, my fellow nerds!. How you doin? There's not much to say right now other than I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leo brings the last of the things he can salvage back to the Sewer Slider and straps it in. But I’m looking for something, or some things, in particular. I squeeze between what’s left of the wall and chunks of rock to get to the pipe I used for years to get to my secret place. Being small has its advantages.</p><p>I finally get to the rusting pipe and scramble up it. I hope my things are still there. Thankfully, the short tunnel is relatively clear. I make my way to the end, where it opens up to the giant room I was using for my garden. I sigh in relief when I see the walls here held up relatively well. Seems it was a good idea for me to reinforce the walls when I found it. </p><p>My garden. My sanctuary. I started it only a couple of years ago when I realized how tiresome it was to be around 4 teenage boys 24/7. And after I found a book Splinter had hidden that was all about medicinal plants. I took what seeds I could from this store that practiced ancient Japanese medicine, and fashioned together a device that could produce artificial sunlight. Don would flip if he knew I made it, and it survived.</p><p>But I can’t take it. Nor can I take anything else but the jars of seeds I had tucked away in a crack in the wall. If I take that out, Leo will ask questions. And that’s the last thing I want.<br/>
<br/>
“Cat!”<br/>
<br/>
Speak of the devil.<br/>
<br/>
“Where are you? We’re leaving!”<br/>
</p><p>I quickly gather up my jars and scamper out of my home-away-from-home. I come up behind Leo as he’s tying down the last of what’s left to the Slider. “Our home, for 15 years. And this is all that’s left.” </p><p>I tie down my jars as tightly as I can. I don’t want to lose what’s left of my seeds. “What’s that,” Leo asks. I give him my ‘don’t ask questions’ look, which makes him back down.</p><p>Raph walks away from the Slider, and I can see the anger radiating off of him in waves. “When I find out built those home-wrecking robo-roaches…” He punches a support pillar. It cracks under the force, and the ceiling starts to shake.</p><p>Leo comes up behind him. “Raph! Come on. Let’s not trash this place anymore than it already is.”</p><p>Raph hops into the driver’s seat of Slider, Leo sits on our stuff, and I hang off the side so I can catch my stuff if the ropes don’t hold. Raph powers up the Slider, and speeds up as the wheels tuck in and glide. </p><p>“Now remember, Don said the accelerator hasn’t been calibrated yet.” AKA, I haven’t had time to look at it, Leo. “So take it nice and slow!” Raph, of course, doesn’t listen and punches it to full speed. Leo almost flies off of the surfboard, so I push down on his shell so he can grab on. Raph doesn’t notice. “Ye-ha!” He looks back to Leo. “I call this a successful field test, wouldn’t you Leo!”</p><p>I roll my eyes. I swear if they screwed up the accelerator, I’m going to hide their stuff and not give it back to them for weeks. It’s hard enough calibrating it in the first place. The teenager part of them slips out, and they’re both cheering as we scream down the sewers towards home. </p><p>Raph backs off the gas just before we reach home. We land and Leo hops off. “Hey, good news Mikey. Your DVD collection survived.” Leo twirls it on his finger like a basketball before chucking it to Mikey. His response is predictable. “Awesome!  Let’s throw in something light on story and heavy on gory, ‘cause the video monolith is ready to rock and roll.”</p><p>I turn my back on them and proceed to untangle the rope that secures my jars. I need to hide these quickly before anyone else finds them. Leo’s already noticed them.<br/>
“In a press conference today, at Stocktronics Incorporated, New York’s leading new technology firm…” And that would be the news. And something interesting. But not according to Mikey.<br/>
“Boring.” He moves to change the channel. I sprint over and snatch the remote out of his hand.<br/>
“I want to see this,” I tell him. My eyes go back to the screen.<br/>
“...Founder and CEO, Dr. Baxter Stockman was on hand to unveil his latest innovation.”</p><p>Baxter Stockman takes off his glasses and cleans them. “A wise man once said, build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door. I say, let the path beating begin for I, Doctor Baxter Stockman, have designed the solution to the cities ever-growing rat problem. Ladies and gentleman, I give you the ultimate expression of rodent termination technology - the Stocktronic’s Mouser.”</p><p>Horror fills my brothers’ faces. I knew I’d seen them from somewhere. Stockman was talking about creating Mousers a while ago. He even showed a vague blueprint on the news. </p><p>I could see the gears in Don’s head turning. “I can’t believe that the famous Baxter Stockman would try to pass off these killer robots as a good thing.”</p><p>Mikey takes the Mouser head from Don’s hand. “And what’s up with those glasses?” He sticks his hand up the metal head like a puppet. “Dork City.”</p><p>Raph takes his sai out and stabs one of the tv’s. There he goes again. Letting his anger get the best of him. “I say we head over to Stocktronics and kick some serious shell.” </p><p>Splinter steps in front of him and raises his cane. “Absolutely not!” Splinter whacks Raph on his head. “Your last venture to the surface was a disaster. You can ill afford to be seen by more humans.”</p><p>I turn back to the tv, where a red-headed girl is on screen. “My lab assistant, Miss April O’Neil, will release several rats into the simulation chamber. April, proceed my dear.” April dumps a box full of rats into a maze and they scatter about. I have a feeling I know where this will lead. </p><p>Stockman drops one of his Mousers into the maze, and it runs forward. “Now observe the sheer genius of my mouser in action.” The Mouser keeps running until it spots one of the rats. It chases after the poor thing, and I can hear the disgust my brothers have as it proceeds to eat it. </p><p>“Man, I’d sure hate to be a rat in this town.” Mikey looks at Splinter. “Oh, sorry Sensei.”<br/>
“And the Mousers search-and-retrieval functions are all ingeniously controlled by a remote mother computer.”<br/>
I shut off the TVs. Stockman’s a genius, but he’s so egotistical. “Come, my children,” Splinter interrupts my thoughts. “Let us get our training in for today.” My brothers follow him to a part of the room, but I grab his shoulder. </p><p>“<em>May I excuse myself from training today Sensei</em>,” I ask him.<br/>
“<em>Is everything alright, Catharina?</em>”<br/>
“<em>Yes. I just have some things I’d like to meditate on.</em>”<br/>
“<em>Of course, my daughter. We will be here if you change your mind.</em>”<br/>
I give a short bow to him. “<em>Thank you, Sensei.</em>”<br/>
As I walk off, I can hear my brothers talking to Splinter. “Why does Cat get to skip out on practice?”<br/>
“Yeah, she needs to train like the rest of us!”<br/>
“And why does she always talk to you in Japanese, Sensei?”</p><p>Splinter silences their complaints. “Catharina has excelled in her training faster than all of you. She’s further ahead than even Leonardo. As to why she speaks to me in Japanese, I do not know. You may ask her yourself, if you are that curious.”</p><p>I tune out the rest of their conversation as I sit down and even out my breathing. Something isn’t right about Stockman and his Mousers. Did they attack us because they thought we were just rats? Or has Stockman found out about us?</p><p>No, it can’t possibly be the latter. As much as our last trip to the surface was a debacle, Stockman, or any other humans besides the Purple Dragons, couldn’t have found out about us. We’re ninjas. We don’t leave a trace of our presence behind.</p><p>As I meditate longer, I delve deeper and deeper into my subconscious, and into the spirit world. I see the spirit of my brothers and Splinter against the stark white surroundings. Blue, red, purple, orange, grey. The colors of my family.</p><p>Orange bubbles with enthusiasm. You can’t help but smile as the color surrounds you and warms you to the core. The cheerful color is never without energy, constantly moving and twisting. You look at the swirls and movement, and all you want to do is jump in and joke and laugh until your stomach hurts.</p><p>	Orange blends to red. Red filled with passion for many things, both good and bad. The bold color radiates with ambition and strength. The intensity is slightly intimidating and drives your mind to be impulsive and jump into anything without a second thought. I can feel the intense love coming from it though. A love that won’t die even when the soul does. </p><p>	Red blends to purple. Just looking at it makes you inspired to imagine every possible thing. Analysis, observation, creation. Every fibre of your body craves knowledge, and frustration creeps in when you know that you don’t know everything. Intuition collides with vision, as if you can see every possible second of the future.</p><p>	Purple becomes blue, and waves of peace wash over you like an ocean over rocks. You stare at the core of blue and all you feel is unwavering trust in its presence. The loyalty in your ideals and beliefs is unmoved. Your muscles hum with stability and harmony. But with all the peace and stability, your emotions come to the surface. In a way, you feel empty and full at the same time. </p><p>	Blue dies and moves to become grey and brown. Everything comes into balance. You feel secure in the blanket of control. Your anxiety, stress and everything else floats away and you can sit in comfort. </p><p>	As I revel in the different personalities and emotions created by the spirits, the serene white background darkens to a suffocating black. It creeps up to the hearts of my family. It drips over them and covers any colorful light. I rush over and try to pull the sticky, tar-like black from my family’s essences, but all it does it creep up my arms. I’m so focused on trying to get the black off of me, that I can’t stop it from totally engulfing the spirits. When the last beam of light disappears, the black surges forward and engulfs every part of me. I scream as the black covers my eyes.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you all could do me a HUGE favor, if you know anyone who would be interested in reading this, can you send them the link please. I need as much help as I can get. See you later!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Episode 2 (2/2): A Better Mousetrap</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So sorry my lovelies! I had a long day yesterday and my brain wasn't working. Please don't hate me! To make it up, I'll try and upload an entire episode next week. No promises though. I'm in a First-Aid course and I'm just being bombarded with information. </p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I’m breathing heavily when I open my eyes. I’m still in my meditation position. I try to calm my erratic breathing and hammering heart. What the hell was that? A nightmare? A vision? When my breathing slows down, I contemplate. Should I tell Splinter? No. I need to figure this out for myself. If it really was a nightmare, there’s no point in freaking everyone out. It felt so real though. </p>
<p>I need to distract myself. Mikey’s asleep in front of the TV. Again. There’s no point in going to him to divert my attention. I bet Don’s still up though. He’s always been a night owl.</p>
<p>Sure enough, Don is still tinkering with the Mouser. I come up behind him and watch what he’s doing over his shoulder. It looks like he’s almost finished. “Why can’t I figure this out,” he whispers. “I’ve tried every possible way I can think of to get this thing started, but nothing’s working.”</p>
<p>“Can I give it a try,” I whisper next to his head. He nearly jumps out of his shell. His instincts take over and throws a punch backwards at the strange person behind him. I catch his fist before it gets anywhere near my head. “What the shell, Cat? Are you trying to give me a heart attack? You know how much I hate it when you do that!”</p>
<p>I give him his hand back. “Sorry. May I?” I gesture to the Mouser.</p>
<p>He sighs. “Knock yourself out. I’ve tried everything I can think of, but it still won’t turn on.”</p>
<p>I tune out his mumbling and poke around in the wires. It doesn’t take me long to find it. I grab his soldering iron and connect two wires that were cut. I then grab one of his pens and stick it in a little hole I’ve seen before on the router. The moment I do that, the Mouser’s eye lights up. It wriggles in my grip and I barely have time to move my hand before it gets chomped off. The Mouser jumps off Don’s desk and runs down one of the exits. I sprint after it. As I run past a snoring Mikey, I smack him on the head hard. “Get up Mikey,” Donny yells at him. </p>
<p>I run past Raph and Leo wrestling in the tunnel, but I have no time to stop their feud now. “Hey guys,” I hear Don from behind. “Cat got one working!”</p>
<p>“Come on,” Mike adds. “He’s faster than he looks!”</p>
<p>I hear four sets of feet padding behind me as the Mouser leads me to one of the many places storm drains lead to. “Watch your step here guys,” Leo warns. “Don’t want to end up as turtle soup.”</p>
<p>When we get to the end of the pipe, I think we just might have cornered it. But the Mouser just starts to walk up the wall. I skid to a stop just before I hit the wall. My brothers stop just behind me. “Resourceful little critter,” Don says. </p>
<p>“So what do we do now,” Raph asks. </p>
<p>I stick my hand into my belt and take out my shukos. I slip them on. “Like Master Splinter says, a ninja is always prepared.” Way ahead of you, Leo. “I thought that was the Boy Scouts,” I hear Mikey say as I jump up as high as I can before digging my shukos into the wall. I climb as fast as I can, and I hear my family joining me. </p>
<p>“Next time, let’s leave the wall-crawling to the dude in the blue and red tights.”</p>
<p>“You read way too many comic books.”</p>
<p>The Mouser enters another sewer opening in the wall, and I follow it. Back to running. “Just curious Don,” Mikey starts. “What’s to stop ol’ turbo jaws from munching up another six point two on the Richter scale?”</p>
<p>“I shut down its jaw servos. It couldn’t even chew through a stick of gum."</p>
<p>The Mouser skids to a stop and munches through thick pipes.</p>
<p>“You were saying,” says Raph.”<br/>
“But I . . . I’m sure I shut it down.”<br/>
“Aww, Don’s finally lost his techno mojo. It’s sad really.”</p>
<p>Don always has a theory though. “It must have some kind of security override routine.”</p>
<p>Mikey elbows Don in the ribs. “Should’ve let Cat double-check your work.”<br/>
Don rolls his eyes. “Come on.”</p>
<p>My brothers run ahead, but I stay in place. “Don.” He turns back to me and I point to the ceiling. He follows my finger to the giant leaking pipe. “Oh no.”</p>
<p>“What is Don,” Leo asks.<br/>
“If I’m not mistaken, that’s a serious water main hanging right over our heads.”<br/>
“So.” Raph asks.<br/>
“So, our little Mouser friend just ate through the pipe’s support.”</p>
<p>The pipe above our head starts to creak as more and more water comes out of the cracks. The pipe bursts, and thousands of gallons of water comes flowing out right towards us. It sweeps us away and my brothers scream. The tidal wave carries us back to the storm drain dump and spits us out. </p>
<p>Don takes his bō out and catches himself on a small pipe. “Grab on!” Leo grabs onto Don’s ankles, then Raph, then Mikey. I barely manage to grab Mikey’s ankles. The shuko spikes do nothing to help my grip. I climb my way up his legs and around his shell until I can wrap my arms around his neck. I whisper in his ear. “Sorry.</p>
<p>“No prob, sis. I don’t mind.” Raph, on the other hand, is not having a very easy time. “Ow! Watch where you point those shuko spikes, Mike.”<br/>
“Aw, keep your shell on, Raph.  I got an idea.” Mikey proceeds to swing his legs and I tighten my grip around him.<br/>
“Mike,” Leo shouts. “Wait! What are you…?” Mikey lets go, and we go flying through a waterfall. He hits the wall hard, and it takes all my strength to not lose my grip on him. My brothers land next to us.</p>
<p>“Guys, you okay,” Don asks. Raph spits out water. “Peachy.”</p>
<p>Leo looks down to me, still piggybacking on Mikey. “You ok?” I nod. My brothers start climbing. But Mikey stays in place. He looks back at me the best he can. “I can feel your heart beating a mile a minute. You can say that you’re not ok. Do you need a minute?”</p>
<p>“Just… climb please.”</p>
<p>He makes his way up the wall, and we eventually make it to another sewer way. Mike puts his hands on the edge. Raph and Leo grab his hands and help him pull both of us in. After he’s standing on both of his feet, the others start to walk away.</p>
<p>But it’s like I’m frozen. I try to peel my arms from around Mikey’s neck, but they won’t obey my commands. “Are you sure you’re ok Cat,” he asks. I want to nod again. But he’ll see right through me. “It’s ok,” Mike tells me. “I’ll walk. Just let me know when you want to get off.” And with that, he puts his hands under my legs, and carries me. Like I’m a child.</p>
<p>I can feel my pride bruised like a peach. Why can’t I let go? How is it I can face down a bunch of punks with chains and bats, hotwire a car, help Don set up every electronic in the new base, kick Raph and Leo’s asses with one hand tied behind my back, but I can’t handle what just happened. I trust Mikey with my life. I trust them all with it. Ever since they saved me.</p>
<p>Something clicks. It must be something that happened to me when I was alone. I don’t remember much, if anything. Maybe feelings, the occasional flashes of images. But that was it. So it must be a memory in my subconscious that made Mikey’s leap of faith so terrifying</p>
<p>Mikey eventually catches up to everyone. I bury my warming face into his neck when I see the looks of surprise and confusion on their faces. “Don’t ask,” Mike tells them. And with that, no one says a word.</p>
<p>“When I get my hands on that metal menace, I’m gonna grind him into little bot burgers.”<br/>
“Easy Raph,” Don tell him. “We still gotta keep him in one piece.”<br/>
“What makes you think we’ll even find the little blender butt,” Mikey asks.<br/>
I tap Leo on the shoulder and point to a giant gaping hole right behind us.<br/>
“I think he left us a few clues,” he says.</p>
<p>We make our way through the hole. We’re about halfway through when my arms start doing what I tell them to. And I swing down off of Mikey. My hand lingers on his arm though. My way of thanking him. And the way he smiles at me when we exit the black tunnel, I know he understands.</p>
<p>“There,” Don shouts and points to our little friend walking across the subway tracks. Raph charges after him, but I see a subway car come flying around the corner. Leo must have seen it too, because we reached him at the same time. “Look out,” Leo screams as we both pull Raph back.</p>
<p>When the train finally passes, the Mouser’s gone. “Whoa, robo Houdini,” exclaims Mikey. I spot the Mouser hanging onto the outside railing of the last car. “Wrong. Robo hitchhiker.”</p>
<p>“We’ll never catch him now!”<br/>
“Two can play at that game,” says Raph. He walks back to the edge of the tracks and jumps on top of the train.<br/>
“What a maniac,” Leo yelled.”<br/>
“Yeah,” Don trails off. “Wait for us!”</p>
<p>We all go running at the train and manage to scramble our way to the roof. It’s at this point that my lightweight stature comes into a disadvantage. I grip the roof as tight as I can, but I still proceed to slip backwards. Leo manages to catch me and hugs me to the roof.</p>
<p>I see the others start to jump off, so Leo pulls me to his side and jumps off with me in his arms. We land, and I push myself out of his arms. I’ve already been carried once today. I refuse to do it again. I get in step with Raph as we follow the Mouser again through more tunnels. And he leads us to another open area. One of his buddies is there too. Mikey points to him. “Woah.  Who invited him?”</p>
<p>It roars at us, and Raph reaches in his belt. “I got it!” He throws a shuriken at it, and it slices the Mousers head. The Mouser stands right back up, unfazed. “This is not good guys,” says Leo.</p>
<p>Don points to a whole hoard of Mousers coming straight for us. “Neither is that. These chrome domes are a lot tougher than the last batch.” My brothers move back to back, pushing me into the middle of them. Again. “Yeah, and there’s a lot more of them too.” Way to point out the obvious Raph.</p>
<p>They all jump into the hoard of Mousers, stabbing, slicing, and swatting the Mousers left and right. “These Mousers are incredible,” Don compliments. “The servo mechanics, the circuitry, the articulation!” I hate to admit it, but he’s right. These robots are fascinating. </p>
<p>Raph’s sarcasm couldn’t help but show up. “Geez Donny, why don’t you just marry one already.”
	Leo slices the head off of one of the robots. “Guys, the only way to stop them is to slice their heads off.”<br/>
	“Well ain’t that great news...for the turtles with the blades.” Mikey crushes one with his nunchucks.<br/>
	“Drive ‘em this way, we’ll slice and dice.” Raph chucks on the Mousers to Leo, who cuts it into a million pieces. </p>
<p>I notice one creeping out, and I pounce. I take my fans out and slice its feet off. I slide to a stop and open up its back. Maybe we can trace them to where they were built. I fiddle around in its back and its head, trying to find something that would help me trace the source.</p>
<p>From a certain angle, it must have looked like I was being attacked, because the next thing I knew, I was being yanked away from the Mouser and the sound of blades cutting metal filled my ears. Leo looked down at me. “Are you ok? It didn’t hurt you or anything?” He offered his hand to me.</p>
<p>I swatted it away and stood up. I stared him down. “I sliced its legs off and disabled its jaw servos and disabled the security override routine. I was trying to trace them back to the source.”</p>
<p>Guilt flashed across Leo’s face. Don walked up to the pile of scrap metal and kicked at its head. “So much for that plan.” </p>
<p>Leo goes to say something, but I hold my hand up to silence him. He starts to protest, but one steely glare from me shuts him up. I listen. And I hear it. A woman screaming. I take off. “Hey Cat,” Leo calls after me. “Where are you going?”</p>
<p>There’s no time to stop. The slow-pokes will catch up. I follow the voice through the labyrinth of sewer ways. I skid around corners, jump over pipes and I can hear the woman’s voice getting louder. I’m close. </p>
<p>I come around a corner, and I see Mousers approaching April O’Neil. Stockman’s assistant. I jump in the air and flip over the Mousers, slicing one in half with my fan. I land in front of April, ready to take the rest on. </p>
<p>My brothers finally catch up and attack the remaining robots without a moment's hesitation. They dispatch with them quickly. April uncovers her eyes, and stares at the heaps of Mouser parts scattered in the water. “Oh, oh thank you.  Thank you so much.  You saved my . . . my . . . .” She trails off as she looks closer at us. Mikey bends over and looks at her. “Hey!  How ya’ doing?” She passes out. </p>
<p>Mikey picks her up and faces us. “Hey, so . . . can I keep her?”</p>
<p>Splinter’s going to kill us.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>See you next week (hopefully)!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Attack of the Mousers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have no excuse for not posting last week. So I just decided to post an entire episode today.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>My brothers are creeps. Who watches a lady sleep with such a relaxed stance? </p><p>I, on the other hand, decided to wait up top. I know she’s going to freak out when she wakes up. What human wouldn’t when they see four mutant turtles staring at her? I notice a slight change in her breathing. She’s about to wake up.</p><p>“Oh, man. What a dream. Turtles fighting robots. Did I fall asleep watching TV again?”</p><p>She sees my brothers, but the words are already coming out of her mouth. “That was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.” Mike walks up to her and gets right in her face. “Hi!” I don’t blame her for screaming at the top of her lungs. Mikey screams along with her. “Please don’t do that,” he asks. “I almost jumped out of my shell.”</p><p>She stares at Mikey’s hands. “It has three fingers.” She puts the pillow over her head. “I’m asleep. I’m asleep. I’m asleep.”<br/>
“This isn’t going very well.” No shit Don. How’d you think it was going to go? “Hey, come on! We don’t have much practice talking to humans. It’s gonna take a little time.” Mikey occasionally has a valid thought.</p><p>April lifts the pillow, takes another look at the four green turtles standing in front of her, and covers her face. “I’m so asleep.” Mikey yawns. “Man, she’s making me sleepy.”</p><p>Raph walks over and taps on April’s shoulder. “Hey, you.” April lifts the pillow off her face. “What?”<br/>
“What do you know about those Mouser robot things?”<br/>
“Well, first I thought they were for cleaning up the city’s rat problem, but then I got suspicious when Dr. Stockman said … oh, no, I’m talking to it.”<br/>
“What,” asks Leo.<br/>
“I’m talking to it. To you! Okay April, you are talking to a giant, three-fingered turtle. The only logical explanation is that you’re dreaming. So everything’s okay.” She waves at them. “Hello.”</p><p>Leo speaks slowly and carefully. “Hello, April. How are you doing?”<br/>
“Oh, I’m fine. Everything’s absolutely great.” She giggles but stops short when Splinter approaches. “Then perhaps you are ready to answer some questions,” Splinter says.<br/>
“You… you’re a…” She faints again.</p><p>I’m done with this for now. I turn and walk back to my room. I need to sleep. One of my brothers will come get me when she wakes up again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I wake up to Mikey complaining. I look at the clock and groan. I can never get a decent nap. I flip my blanket off and make my way out of my room. I crouch down and listen.</p><p>I wake up to Mikey complaining. I look at the clock and groan. I can never get a decent nap. I flip my blanket off and make my way out of my room. I crouch down and listen.</p><p>“She woke up,” I hear Raph tell Mikey. “Leo made her some tea and she’s ready to consider we might be real.<br/>
“Awesomely radical dude.”<br/>
“Ha, you keep talking like that and she’s gonna pass out again.”<br/>
“Hey!”</p><p>April sips her tea and Mikey walks up to her. “So, you okay now?"<br/>
“Yes, thanks,” responds April. “I’ve decided this is either a very long dream that I keep not waking up from or it’s the weirdest thing that ever happened to me.”</p><p>“Young woman,” begins Splinter. “We have something most important to discuss.”<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“We have never revealed ourselves to the upper world. You have placed us all in grave danger.”<br/>
Leo looks at Splinter. “But Master Splinter, she was in trouble and we helped her.”<br/>
Raph pipes in. “Yeah, aren’t you always teaching us to do the right thing?”<br/>
“As you grow older, you will learn there are many ways to ‘do the right thing’.” Splinter looks down. I can see his worried expression even from here. “But there is no going back. I’m afraid we find ourselves at your mercy.” He bows his head to April.</p><p>April waves her arm. “Oh, I would never tell anybody. I mean, who would believe me?”<br/>
“She’s got a point,” Don says from his spot on the arm of the couch.<br/>
“Yeah, we’re unbelievable.” Mikey starts striking poses and I smack my head.<br/>
“Geez, where’s your off switch,” asks Raph.<br/>
April puts her hand over her heart. “Seriously, I promise.”</p><p>Splinter climbs off the chair and kneels in front of April. He stares intently into her eyes, and April stares back. “I believe you.”</p><p>Leo walks up next to Splinter and bends down to look at April. “Is this another lesson, Master Splinter? How to sense the truth?”<br/>
“No. This is called trusting your gut.”<br/>
“So, if I’m keeping your secret, what exactly is it?” Smart girl. “Who are you people, uh, turtles, uh, whatever?”</p><p>“I have memories, memories of when I used to be what you might call normal.” I’ve heard this story from Splinter before. “I remember a day that started like any other, but ended changing the course of many lives. I witnessed an accident. A young boy carried a glass jar with four pet, infant turtles. An old, blind man was crossing the street, when he was almost run down by a large truck. The young boy dropped the jar, and the baby turtles flowed into a storm drain. As the truck swerved, a metal canister bounced out of the back.  It smashed open, releasing a glowing ooze, which covered their bodies. I took pity, gathering them up in a coffee can. I took them to my burrow. The next morning, I awoke to find the four had doubled in size. The ooze had affected their growth. It changed me also, making me larger, and more intelligent. They followed me everywhere, except above ground.  I knew the people of the surface would not understand. We are so different. I was amazed by their dexterity. But even so, I was not prepared for what happened one day.</p><p>They actually spoke! My name! Soon they all were speaking. Intelligence followed soon after. Realizing that the world above is sometimes a dangerous place, I began teaching them ninjitsu, the secret arts of stealth and power and all that I knew of this world. From a battered book on Renaissance art that I fished out of the storm drain, I chose names for each of them. Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo. Together they are…”<br/>
The four of them high-fived each other. “Turtles forever!” Mikey walks over and leans on the couch. “Or something like that, that we all yell at once.”</p><p>Raph sits next to April. “First rule, ignore Mikey, your life will be much easier.”<br/>
“So we have remained in secret. And that is our story,” Splinter concludes.<br/>
“But how did you know martial arts,” April asks.<br/>
“That is a story for another time.”</p><p>“So, how long have the five of you been down here?” Mikey put his hand up. “Ah. I’m going to stop you right there. There’s actually six of us.” April squints her eyes at him. “Unless I need to get my eyes checked, I’m pretty sure I count five.”</p><p>Splinter smiles. “There is another.”</p><p>April chokes on her tea and looks back up with wide eyes. “There’s more of you!”</p><p>Mikey looks up and around, and somehow doesn’t see me standing and watching them. “Speaking of which, where is she?”</p><p>I jump off the second floor and land on the couch arm next to Raph. I stare intently at her and study every one of her features. Once again, she screams. Raph nearly jumps out of his skin and is halfway through pulling out his sais before he realizes it’s me. “What the shell, Cat! I could’ve stabbed you!”</p><p>I look at him. “No, you wouldn’t have.” Splinter gestures to me. “Miss O’Neil, this is my daughter, Catharina.” I meet her eyes, and I can see the gears turning in her head. She looks to Splinter. “But your story only mentions four baby turtles. Where was she?”<br/>
“Her story is much more mysterious,” Splinter starts. “I found her one night when I was scavenging for supplies. She was just a baby. I brought her here and made her part of our family.”</p><p>April looks to me. “But how did you get in the sewer.” I shrug slightly. She begins to ask another question, but I silence her. “No more questions, please.” I turn to the TV, and pretend not to hear Mikey whispering to April. “She’s not much of a talker. Try and ask her later. You might be the first one she’ll open up to.”<br/>
“Guys.” They all turn to me. I point to the TV.</p><p>“And the police are completely baffled by this daring bank robbery boldly executed in broad daylight. If anyone has any information, the police urge you to call the crime stoppers hotline.”<br/>
“So,” Mikey drawls. “Anybody wanna take a wild guess what did this,” as the camera zooms in on Mouser footprints.”</p><p>“This must be what I heard Dr. Stockman talking about,” April recounted. “He’s got the Mouser robbing banks. Raph leans forward from his spot on the couch. “What do ya’ know about this Stockman guy?”<br/>
“He’s a genius. He’s also nuts. I used to work for him, but when I got suspicious, he turned the Mousers on me. Luckily I ran into you guys.”<br/>
“He destroyed our old lair.” I have never heard so much venom and hate in Leo’s voice.<br/>
“Must have been one of his Mouser test runs.”<br/>
“But, that was our home,” Mikey lamented.<br/>
“Now he’s graduated to banks,” Don chimes in.</p><p>Raph stands up and puts on the most menacing face he can. “Then what are we waiting for? I say we shut down Mouser central, permanently.”<br/>
“I just love those action movie lines,” Mikey laughs. “You write those yourself?”<br/>
“It won’t be easy,” April brings up. “Stocktronics is rigged with the latest, up-to-the-minute security tech.”</p><p>“Tch. Bring it on. Allow me to introduce our very own secret weapon. The techno turtle himself, Donatello! Take a bow, Don.” I can see the tiniest bit of pink on Don’s cheeks even under all that green. “Aw, cut it out.”<br/>
“Oh, sorry. Don’t forget about Cat too!”</p><p>Raph is literally vibrating where he stands. “Can we go, please?” Splinter reluctantly nods and Raph is already running to the door. “Hurry up already!”</p><p>We follow more slowly, and I somehow end up in the front. I have a pretty good idea of how to get to the Stocktronics building from here. I feel April tap my shoulder. “Can I ask you some more questions?”<br/>
“I make no promise that I will answer.”<br/>
She hesitates but keeps going. “So you were found in the sewers?”<br/>
“That’s what Splinter tells me.”<br/>
“And you don’t know where you came from.”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
“How old are you?”<br/>
“8.”<br/>
“Really? You seem so mature.”</p><p>That doesn’t warrant an answer. She keeps talking, telling me stuff I don’t really care about at the moment. But of course, she comes up with more questions.</p><p>“Why do you not wear a mask like your brothers?”</p><p>I shrug. I never really knew why I didn’t wear a mask. I was offered, of course, but I was comfortable wearing the big scarf I made. It was super long, trailing behind me, so I can wrap it around my face multiple times if I want. It’s wide so I can cover most of my face. It’s my comfort blanket in my solitary world.</p><p>“Why are you so isolated?”</p><p>I whip around and glare at her. I so wish the scarf tail slapped her. The expressions on my brother’s face tells me everything. They were listening. Instant regret is written all over April’s face. She reaches out to me. “I’m so sor…”</p><p>I don’t hear the rest. I run as fast as I can away from them. My only thought is to run. My only desire is to hide and never come out.</p><p>I don’t know how far I’ve, and I don’t know how I heard it in my emotional stupor, but it was there. A very faint beeping. I skid to a stop and look around. I see a camera a little ways above my head. This could only be Stockman. How paranoid is this guy?</p><p>I’m still studying the camera when 5 sets of feet come padding around the corner. I look side-eyed at them. Of course, April would come. She holds her finger up to her mouth and walks towards me. I step back and let her duck under the camera and open it up. Don comes up next other and pulls wires out.</p><p>“Alarms in the sewers.? Is this guy paranoid or what,” asks Mikey.<br/>
Raph gets right up in his face. “Will you shut it?”<br/>
“I’m just saying.”<br/>
“Could April and I have some quiet,” Don asks. “This is delicate work.”<br/>
“Ooh, April and I. This is delicate work. Gimme a break.”</p><p>Donny and April wrap up disabling the camera. I rip the cover off the vent the camera was monitoring. I set it down and everyone else climbs into it. I haul myself up last and proceed to crawl through it. It doesn’t take long before we stop. I quickly get impatient. Get a move on already! If we don’t keep moving, they’ll find us for sure.</p><p>Finally, we’re moving again. I can see light coming in from a hallway as I inch closer to the exit. Raph’s already picking the lock when I make it to the edge and Donny, ever the caring one, holds his arms up to help me out. I wave him off and crawl out head first. I land on my hands and flip myself back over just as Raph opens a door.</p><p>He flips in, and Leo runs in behind. The rest of us hang back. April hurries over to a computer and hacks in. “Ok, I’m in.” She looks back. I’m blanking the cameras along that corridor at ten-second intervals, so you’ve got to keep moving.” She turns back to the computer.<br/>
“We’ll be right back,” says Leo.</p><p>We all book it out the door and run down the corridor as fast as we can. I’m the first that gets to the giant doors that leads into Stockman’s lab. The doors slide open and I cautiously walk in. My brothers follow in behind me. All four take their weapons out. Something isn’t right here. </p><p>Leo walks up beside me. “This is too quiet.”<br/>
“Uh, guys.” I side-eye Mikey. “My turtle-sense is tingling.”</p><p>The doors slam shut behind us and all the lights come on. “Intruders,” Stockman speaks through the overhead speakers. “Here to steal my secrets? You’ll leave here with nothing, not even your lives.” He pauses for a moment. “What on Earth are you? Hmm. I suppose I’ll have to dissect you to find out.” He rubs his hands together, then pushes a button. Robot arms come out and fire lasers at us. </p><p>We all leap out of the way and I sprint next to Donny. I hop onto his shell, and use the extra height to jump onto one of the robot arms. I strong-arm it and angle it so it takes out the other two next to it. Don lands next to me, tears open a panel, and rips the circuitry out. We jump off as it spins out of control and book it towards Stockman.</p><p>“Impossible,” I hear him whisper over the intercom. He controls more and more laser, firing nonstop at us. They never hit their mark. Raph flips across the floor until he’s right under Stockman’s glass room. “Mikey! Slingshot!”</p><p>Mikey runs over to him, dodging lasers to and fro. Raph locks his hands together. Mikey steps onto them and Raph shoots him up. Mike balances on the tiny ledge in front of a window and smashes it. The rest of us make our way up and through the shattered glass.</p><p>Leo points his sword at the doctor. “Your reign of terror is over, Stockman.”<br/>
“You been practicing that.” Mikey asks.<br/>
“You like it?”<br/>
“What are you,” Stockman asks.<br/>
The doors slide open and in steps April. “They’re with me.”<br/>
“April! You’re alive!”</p><p>“And kicking. I’ve got enough evidence to put you away for years, Dr. Stockman.”<br/>
I notice too late when Stockman presses a button. Raph grabs him by his coat and shoves him against the console. “That’s enough!”<br/>
“Ha! Too late. I’ve recalled the Mouser hoard from their latest mission. They’ll be here any second. They’ll tear you to pieces.”<br/>
“April,” Leo says with worry.<br/>
“I’ll have to shut the whole system down.”<br/>
Don walks next to her. “I’ll help.” I walk to her other side. “I’ll help too.”<br/>
“You’re doomed,” Stockman grins. “Listen.”</p><p>The factory doors slide open and a huge hoard of Mousers enters. I look back down to the panel and scan it. There has to be a shutdown switch somewhere. Even an override code would be helpful. “April,” I hear Leo. “Now’s the time.”<br/>
“Ah, the system isn’t responding.” She looks to Don, who starts typing away.<br/>
“You never should have matched wits with me.” I look up just in time to see the doors slide closed with Stockman on the other side. Mikey runs towards it. “He’s getting away!”<br/>
“Let him go, we’ve got bigger problems,” Raph says. I turn back to the console and think. What could we do?<br/>
“It’s not working!” I can hear the fear in April’s voice.<br/>
“Keep trying,” Don yells.</p><p>What to do? What to do! Then it hits me. I turn to April. “Overload sequence,” I whisper in her ear. She furiously starts typing and pushes a button. I look back.</p><p>The Mousers stop advancing and their eyes start blinking. Leo pokes at them with his katana, and the boys start cheering. “Good job, April,” Don complements. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”<br/>
“Um, guys, guys! I wasn’t able to shut them down.” Mikey points to the one he’s holding. “They look pretty shut down to me.” Its eye is flashing bright red.<br/>
“The only way I could stop them was by initiating an overload sequence.” The Mousers start beeping and smoke pours out of their mouths. Mikey tosses his to the ground. “In other words … let’s get out of here!”</p><p>I’m scooped up by Leo before I can even take a step forward. I cross my arms. I hate him so much. We stop near the lab entrance and wait for Don and April. I try to squirm my way out of Leo’s arms, but he holds me firm to his plastron. We all run through the maze of halls back to the cent we came in through. Leo throws me up first and I crawl as fast as I can back into the sewers. I hear a faint explosion in the distance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“And the authorities are completely perplexed by the destruction of the Stocktronics building and sudden disappearance of Dr. Baxter Stockman,” the news lady reports.</p><p>“What will you do now, Miss O’Neil,” Splinter asks. “You are most definitely out of a job.”<br/>
“I’m not exactly sure.”<br/>
Don walks up to her. “We’ll help you get back on your feet.”<br/>
“You guys, you’ve all been, well, great. And by guys, I guess I mean five, green talking turtles and a giant talking rat.”</p><p>Don sticks his teacup out. “Here’s to the new team!” Everyone lifts their cups up and cheers. But I refuse to. April may have forgotten what she said, but I haven’t. It’s going to take a lot more than blowing up a bunch of small metal robots for me to forgive her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you all so much for reading. It's not a lot of views compared to other stories, but 80-something is a lot to me! Thanks for all the support, and I look forward to the nerd group growing!</p><p>See you next time!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Episode 4 (1/2): Meet Casey Jones</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know this is a bit of short one, but I wanted to get something out today. I promise to upload the rest next week. Hopefully, it'll turn out to be a longer one. Thanks for the love ppl!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mikey is a gloat, and Raph is a hot-head. Of course, I already knew these things, but watching them spar makes it ever evident. Mikey throws Raph into a stack of boxes and dusts his hands off. “Ha! Nice fall, Raphael. Just come on back if you want some more of that.” Raph stands up and rips a box of his head. “You’ve had it Mikey.” Mike just blows on his fist and rubs it against his plastron. “Bro or no, you’ve got to go.” Raph leaps at him and takes a swing, but Mike dodges it. “Good reverse punch,” he compliments.</p><p>Raph continues to take swings, and Mike continues to dodge. “Nice roundhouse kick too, Raph. Not a bad dragon punch either, but you’re just a little too slow.” He smacks Raph upside the head, and sends Raph careening into the wall. “Actually, much too slow.”</p><p>I shake my head. Mikey probably has the rawest talent out of all of us and he doesn’t mind showing it off. One of these days, it’s going to cost him. I look back up just in time to see Mike throw Raph into a table. He lands and splinters go flying in every direction. Mike turns away and slowly walks towards the rest of the family. “Winner and still champion, Michelangelo!”</p><p>I feel the rage radiating of Raph in waves. He picks up a pipe and I can hear him growling in a low voice. “No. No, you … you…” He leaps for him and I run as fast as I can. I shove Mikey out of the way and he tumbles hard. No time for being soft. Raph’s foot connects with my plastron and I land on my shell. Hard. I squirm under his knee, but he weighs too much for me to even budge. Time slows down.</p><p>I see the pipe coming towards my head. My hands fly up. I catch it. Something in my hand gives. I look in his eyes. I don’t see my brother. I use his momentum to flip him off. He lands on his knees. Rage still blinds him. He starts to get up. Leo holds his arm back. </p><p>“Raphael, have you lost your mind!” The adrenaline ebbs away. I then notice Don kneeling next to me. He gently takes my hand and it takes all my willpower not to flinch away. “Are you ok, Mikey,” Don asks from my side. “What were you thinking Raph?”</p><p>Raph is breathing heavily and as much as my wrist hurts like hell right now, I’m still worried about him. He drops the pipe and Leo lets go. “I … Leo … Mikey, Cat, I …” He clutches his face in shame. Splinter rests his hand on his shoulder. “Ah, my son, so angry. Rage is a monster that will destory you from within. Raphael, a true warrior finds balance in all things.”</p><p>Raph shoots up. “Master Splinter, I … I… I gotta get some air.” He runs right out of the lair. Mikey starts to follow, but Splinter holds him back.</p><p>I feel Don poking a prodding my wrist and suddenly, all attention is on me. on says what I’ve already guessed. “I think it’s broken. I’ll need to splint it.” Leo reaches out to help me up, but I ignore him. “My wrist is broken, not my legs,” I tell him. </p><p>Don leads me to his lab, where he gets to work setting up a splint. Mikey wanders in not long after us, and basically hovers next to me. I sigh and look up at him. “It’s not your fault.”</p><p>That just sets him off. “Of course it was my fault! If I’d been paying more attention, then you never would’ve gotten hurt.” He hangs his head. “I’m sorry Cat.” I place my good hand on his arm. No more words need be said. </p><p>Don walks back with his homemade splint and sets it down. “I need to set it first,” he tells me. He grabs hold of my arm and my fingers. “This is going to hurt,” he warns me. I nod. He pulls, and I can feel the bones moving in my skin. Honestly, Mikey looks more in pain watching it than I do. </p><p>Don puts the splint on and gives me a long lecture about what to do, what not to do, blah, blah, blah. As if I haven’t read the medicine textbooks he scrounged up too.</p><p>I hop off his desk and walk away from them. I need to find Raph. With a hothead like him, and him knowing that he could’ve seriously hurt one of us, he shouldn’t be running around the city by himself. I pretend to head to my room, but slip into the shadows when I’m far enough away. I hug the wall and make my way to the exit. When I’m in the clear, I sprint down the sewer. Time to find Raph.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Episode 4 (1.5/2): Meet Casey Jones</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, I know the previous chapter said 1 out of 2, but I couldn't finish the rest of the episode. And I wanted to get something out. So here it is. And just a fair warning, pretty sure the next chapter's gonna be a little short. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I searched every alleyway, rooftop, and shadow in a 5-mile radius from the lair, but couldn’t find Raph. I thought I’d at least hear some police scanner report a giant 5-foot turtle roaming around New York.</p><p>I finally find him on my way back to the lair. He’s running across rooftops going in the same direction as me. I change my trajectory and manage to catch up to him. I jump down in front of him and he skids to a stop right in front of me. </p><p>He looks like crap. His body sags with exhaustion and I can see small bruises peppering his body. I poke at them. “What happened?” He hisses and pulls his arm away. “Nothing you need to worry about, lil’ sis.”</p><p>I glare at him. If I stare at him for long enough, he’ll break. But he tears his eyes away and turns his back to me. I can sense the frustration in him. “Spit it out,” I tell him. He drops his arms and hangs his head. I barely hear him whisper, “I’m sorry.”<br/>
<br/>
“For what?”</p><p>He whips around. “What do you mean for what? I hurt Mikey! I hurt you!” He gestures to my splint that I totally forgot I had on. “I did that! I hurt one of our own! I hurt my family!” He drops his head into his hands. “I’m so sorry Cat. I lost control.”</p><p>I walk up to him and grab his face. I force him to look me in the eye. His eyes are shining with unshed tears. “I forgive you.”<br/>
<br/>
“But…”<br/>
<br/>
I silence him. “Mikey’s fine. And I heal fast.”<br/>
<br/>
He exhales and stands straight up. “Let’s go home.” I nod and let him lead the way.</p><p>The door slides open after I put the code in. The rest of our family are huddled together and I hang back as Raph walks to them. </p><p>“Welcome home Raph,” Mikey greets. “Man, you look like you got the shell kicked out of you.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, it’s a long story, but first I . . .  I wanted to apologize. Mikey, I’m sorry I got so out of control earlier.” He drops his head. “Guys, I’m really sorry.”</p><p>Mike walks over and claps Raph on the shoulder. “Hey, don’t sweat it bro.”<br/>
<br/>
Leo points a finger at Raph. “All right, who are you, and what have you done with our brother Raphael?”<br/>
<br/>
“Let’s just say I had a chance to think about the way I been acting,” Raph explains. “I’ll fill you in over dinner.”</p><p>I’m surprised Mikey didn’t start licking his lips. “Dinner? Now you’re talking my language.”<br/>
<br/>
“What language is that, Mikey, nitwit?”<br/>
<br/>
“Haw, haw. Listen to the funny mutant.”</p><p>I’m not in the mood for food right now, so I head towards my garden. If I know my brothers, they’ll be sneaking out tonight. And I’m predicting that I’ll have to tag along. </p><p>“Cat, wait,” Leo calls after me.<br/>
<br/>
“What,” I ask.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, for one, you didn’t tell anyone you were leaving the lair.”<br/>
<br/>
“So?”<br/>
<br/>
“So, tell someone next time. We didn’t even realize you had left.”</p><p>And by ‘we’, he means ‘me’. He’s the only one that cares that I didn’t tell anyone.</p><p>“I can handle myself, Leo,” I tell him.<br/>
<br/>
“You’re a child, Catharina. You shouldn’t have to.”<br/>
<br/>
Now I’m getting annoyed. “Anything else you need, <em>ani</em>?”<br/>
<br/>
“Two things. One, are you not joining us for dinner? And did Raph apologize to you?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, and yes. Now, leave me alone.”</p><p>I spin on my heel and sprint away before he can say another word. Now I definitely need the tranquility of my garden. I make my way through the twists and turns of the passage to my secret, and come out into the vast room. </p><p>I was ecstatic when I found it. The room was significantly larger than the last one I used, and the passages were large enough for me to drag parts of my disassembled artificial sunlight machine back here and put it back together. I smile slightly. I’ve left the lair without anyone noticing for quite a while.</p><p>I tend to my plants before sitting in the middle of the garden to meditate. I need to calm myself from the discussion with Leo. Man, he gets on my nerves sometimes. </p><p>I understand the big brother instinct he has. That all of them have. But I know they’ve seen that I can handle myself first hand, from beating them all in training, to how I stopped Raph from hurting Mikey earlier. </p><p>I’m not sure how long I’m meditating for when I hear whispers. “I don’t know Raph. We should probably tell Master Splinter.”</p><p>Another reason I love this room. Natural echo chamber.</p><p>	I make my way out to the main part of the lair, all the while hearing their conversation. “And have him stop us from going topside? We have to find that vigilante wack-bag and stop him for his own good.” Seems my brothers need another lesson on stealth. I drop behind Splinter, who’s standing next to the master switch for the lights. I tap him on the shoulder and gesture to the lights. He stands aside. </p><p>“He’s not a bad guy, just a little misguided.” I flip the switch and the room is flooded with light. I cross my arms and stare at my brothers. Splinter clears his throat. </p><p>“Busted.” No shit Mikey.<br/>
<br/>
“How many times have I told you not to sneak up to the surface,” Splinter asks.<br/>
<br/>
“This month?”<br/>
<br/>
“Five hundred and twelve, actually,” Don chimes in. I shoot him a glare.<br/>
<br/>
“It is dangerous for you to go about openly in the world above. You cannot simply walk amongst the humans. They will not accept who and what you are, Splinter explains. “It is as the great sage and warrior Kenji Hashimura once said, “Why walk when you can ride?”</p><p>Confusion is written all over their faces. “Come again,” Raph asks.</p><p>I face palm. “The truck.”</p><p>Splinter walks over to the newly-discovered elevator and opens it. “Take it."</p><p>The elevator takes us up to the warehouse, where the truck is sitting and waiting. “Alright, we got until Friday night to make this bad boy turtle-ready,” Raph says. </p><p>“Let’s get to work,” Don says. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>FYI, "ani" means older brother in Japanese. Or so the internet told me.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Episode 4 (2/2): Meet Casey Jones</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have an important announcement to make, so make sure you read the notes at the bottom!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The truck is all tricked out by Friday night, and I have to say, it looks pretty cool. The others stand back to admire our work as well. “Now this is a ride,” Raph comments. </p><p>Don flips off his glasses. “You ain’t seen nothing yet. Let’s roll.”</p><p>	We hop in, buckle up, and make our way to Central Park. Don acts like a tour guide, as if we haven’t lived here our whole lives. “And on your left is Central Park, eight hundred and forty three acres of landscaped beauty in the center of the city.” Raph looks out the window. “Wait! There he is!”</p><p>Some guy wearing a hockey mask and riding a motorcycle blazes past us. Raph hops up and gets right up beside Don. “Floor it, Don! Keep up with him!”<br/>
“You go get him, Raph. Me and Cat whipped up something special for you. It’s in the back.” Raph walks to the back, and sees the gift we made him. “Like it,” Don asks. “I call it the Shell Cycle.”<br/>
<br/>
Raph picks up the red helmet I left for him. “Donatello, you are the turtle.”<br/>
<br/>
He revs up the motorbike, but before he leaves, I hop on behind him. He whips around. “Cat, what are you doing?”<br/>
<br/>
“Watching your back.”</p><p>He goes to protest, but I smack him upside the head and plop my helmet on. “Go.” </p><p>He gives in and flies out the back doors. I wrap my arms around him as much as I can. Curse being small. He skids the bike around and takes off past the others. </p><p>Raph cuts through Central Park and speeds up until we’re driving right next to Hockey Mask Guy. “Hey, hotshot, slow it down,” Raph yells at him. The guy just speeds up more, and cuts a corner over a sidewalk. Raph follows. We get right next to him again. “Pull over,” Raph shouts again. He maneuvers the bike behind and pulls up again on Hockey Mask’s other side. “I said pull over!” Raph reaches across and pulls on the brakes. </p><p>Hockey Mask goes flying off and his bike skids to a stop next to him. Raph slides to a stop. “Time for a little shell shock.” He revs the engine and races towards Hockey Mask. He jumps off and body slams him just as Hockey Mask is getting up. </p><p>	I scoot forward and grab the handles before the bike topples over. I pull on the brakes and stop a little ways from the heap of man and turtle. I hop off and drop the bike. I’ll fix it up later. </p><p>I walk towards Raph, whose helping Hockey Mask up. I stop just far enough away to hear their conversation.</p><p>“You don’t know what you’re talking about.<br/>
<br/>
“Try me.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, a long time ago, when I was a kid some young punks were shaking my dad down for protection money. They were Purple Dragons.” He turns away from us. “When he didn’t pay up, they torched our store.” I can see him shaking from here. He turns back to Raph. “So don’t tell me how to deal with Purple Dragons.”<br/>
<br/>
“Just be careful. Your anger could take you down, make you act just like them. My father once told me a true warrior finds balance in all things.”<br/>
<br/>
“Balance, huh?”</p><p>A branch cracks. I scan the trees and I faintly see shadows moving. They’re surrounding us. I take out my fans and slowly walk towards Raph, scanning the trees. The shadows turn to men with every manner of weapon. I stare the leader down as I keep backing up to Raph. I see the tattoo running down his face. Purple Dragons. He’s still bantering with Hockey Mask.</p><p>	“Well, isn’t this romantic,” the Purple Dragon leader drawls. Raph immediately grabs me and pushes me behind him. Stupid brother instincts.<br/>
<br/>
“So,” Hockey Mask starts as he goes back to back with Raph, “when you said I would go too far and get myself into trouble, you meant something like this?”<br/>
<br/>
“Something like.”</p><p>The Dragons inch closer and closer, and I can feel both boys tense up. Just before the punks pounce, lights blind us all and our truck comes tearing towards us. The Dragons scatter and the truck slides to a stop behind us. Leo, Mikey, and Don file out of the truck and join us. “Friends of yours.” Hockey Mask asks. </p><p>“Brothers actually.” Raph points behind him to me. “And sister.” Mask looks between us. “I can see the family resemblance.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m the pretty one,” Mike says as he pulls out his nunchucks. </p><p>The Dragons come running at us, and I charge them. Just before one takes a swing at my head, I slide under his legs. I kick the knees of every pair of legs I slide under until I get to the back. I push myself up and see a couple break off from the back of the pack. </p><p>“Aww, look at the little freak.”<br/>
<br/>
“It barely comes up to my chest.”<br/>
<br/>
“Come on boys, it doesn’t look that tough.”</p><p>A pipe comes screaming towards my head, but I quickly swat it away and disarm the Dragon idiot. As he stands there stunned and weaponless, I smirk under my scarf and kick him where it hurts. He drops to his knees. I look him in the eyes. And I punch his lights out.</p><p>“Guys, check it out! I got my split kick right,” I hear Leo shout.<br/>
<br/>
“I missed it. Let me see it again,” Raph calls back.</p><p>I duck under a fist coming at my head, and throw another Dragon into the bushes.</p><p>“One more time!”<br/>
<br/>
I take down the last punk.<br/>
<br/>
“Hah! Saw that one.”</p><p>I look back to the boys. Not many Dragons left. They don’t need my help.</p><p>Leo takes down the leader in no time. The last one standing. I step over bodies piled all over the ground as I make my way back.</p><p>“Cat,” Leo calls. “Are you ok? How’s the wrist?” He snatches my hand, and I swat him away.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m fine.”</p><p>“I know I’m gonna regret saying this, but I’m glad I met you, crazy man.” Raph looks at Hockey Mask.<br/>
<br/>
“Me too, green dome. And you know something? I’m starting to see what you’re all about.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, you mean about balance, self-control?”<br/>
<br/>
“Nah. I mean that you’re a green mutant freak.” Mask punches Raph and laughs. “But I like ya’.”</p><p>Raph punches back, and soon they’re trading fists and wrestling on the ground. Leo looks at Mikey.<br/>
“He’s your brother.”<br/>
<br/>
“No, no, he’s your brother.”<br/>
<br/>
“Absolutely your brother.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, ya boi got a job! Finally. I'm so excited! With that, I'm definitely moving the uploads to every other Friday (but that's not really any different from what I'm doing now lol). But I promise to try and upload whole chapters. It'll be divided into parts, like it always is, so you're not overwhelmed with text. But I'll be uploading the parts on the same day.</p><p>Thanks for all the support and patience! See you at the next upload!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Remember, I welcome feedback. I want to get better. If I think of any other info I think you should know, then I'll put it in the notes on the next chapter.<br/>I don't have a set schedule of uploading as of yet. I'm hoping there will be a new chapter uploaded every week or two. It'll give me time to rewatch the episode, figure out where to put everyone, and figure out how to write it so it sounds just as exciting as the episode!</p><p>Love you all and stay weird! Can't wait to see you at the next upload!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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